Senior Director, Global Transportation & Purchasing

Travel Requirements

This position will require approximately 25–40% travel to support strategic initiatives, supplier engagement, carrier partnerships, and operational reviews. Travel requirements may vary based on business priorities.

About the role

The Senior Director of Global Transportation & Purchasing is responsible for leading the organization’s upstream supply chain strategy, including strategic sourcing, purchasing, inventory planning, supplier management, global transportation, trade compliance, and supply chain analytics. Reporting to the Vice President of Supply Chain, this leader will oversee the flow of products from supplier origin through arrival at company distribution facilities, ensuring inventory readiness, transportation efficiency, supplier performance, and cost optimization. The role is accountable for developing end-to-end supply chain visibility through robust reporting, dashboarding, and analytics that enable proactive business decisions and support organizational growth. This position serves as a key member of the Supply Chain leadership team and will drive strategic initiatives that improve service, reduce risk, strengthen supplier partnerships, optimize global transportation networks, and support scalable business growth.

Scope of Responsibility

• Leads a team of purchasing associates, including two direct reports.
• Oversees strategic sourcing, purchasing, inventory planning, supplier management, global transportation, trade compliance, and supply chain analytics functions.
• Manages multi-million-dollar transportation and procurement expenditures.
• Supports supplier networks primarily located throughout Asia and Southeast Asia.
• Responsible for end-to-end supply chain visibility from supplier origin through receipt at company distribution facilities.
• Develops executive-level reporting, dashboards, and KPI frameworks that support strategic decision-making and operational performance.
• Employee has an individual responsibility for knowledge of and compliance with laws, regulations, and policies; compliance is a condition of employment and is considered an element of job performance.
• Maintains HIPAA/patient confidentiality.
• Performs other job duties as assigned.

Direct Reports

• Purchasing & Inventory Planning Manager
• Transportation Analyst

Key Responsibilities

Transportation Strategy & Network Optimization

• Develop and execute the organization’s global transportation strategy to support growth, service, and cost objectives.
• Optimize domestic and international transportation networks to improve efficiency, reliability, and scalability.
• Lead transportation planning across multiple transportation modes, including ocean, air, parcel, truckload, less-than-truckload, and intermodal.
• Establish and manage strategic relationships with transportation providers, logistics partners, freight carriers, freight forwarders, and customs brokers.
• Lead transportation performance reviews and continuous improvement initiatives focused on service, cost, and operational performance.
• Oversee carrier selection, contract negotiations, and ongoing partner governance.
• Identify and execute opportunities to optimize transportation costs, improve network performance, and enhance service levels through data-driven analysis and strategic partner management.

Supply Chain Visibility & Analytics

• Develop and execute a comprehensive supply chain visibility strategy that provides end-to-end insight from supplier origin through final delivery.
• Build and maintain executive dashboards that provide visibility into inventory, purchasing, transportation, supplier performance, and supply chain health.
• Establish reporting capabilities that track product movement from factory to port, across transportation modes, through distribution centers, and into inventory.
• Develop KPI frameworks and scorecards that provide visibility into transportation performance, inventory health, supplier reliability, service levels, and freight spend.
• Leverage analytics to identify trends, risks, opportunities, and actionable business recommendations.
• Present supply chain performance, strategic initiatives, and recommendations to executive leadership.
• Partner with Information Technology, Finance, Operations, and Business Leaders to establish scalable reporting and analytics capabilities.

Strategic Sourcing, Purchasing & Supplier Management

• Develop sourcing and procurement strategies that balance cost, quality, service, and supply continuity.
• Lead supplier selection, contract negotiations, and long-term supplier relationship management.
• Ensure effective supplier performance management through scorecards, business reviews, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Develop and maintain strong partnerships with suppliers to support organizational growth and service objectives.
• Identify opportunities to reduce total landed cost while improving supplier performance and service reliability.
• Align purchasing strategies with organizational priorities and customer needs.

Inventory Planning & Replenishment

• Lead inventory planning and replenishment strategies to ensure product availability while optimizing inventory investment.
• Develop reporting and planning processes that provide visibility into inventory health, stock levels, supplier performance, and supply chain risk.
• Partner with business stakeholders to establish inventory targets, replenishment strategies, and inventory policies.
• Monitor and proactively address inventory shortages, supply disruptions, and service risks.
• Develop KPI frameworks that measure inventory performance, fill rates, supplier reliability, and inventory turns.

Global Trade Compliance

• Oversee import/export compliance activities, ensuring adherence to applicable trade regulations, customs requirements, and international shipping standards.
• Manage relationships with customs brokers, freight forwarders, and logistics partners to ensure efficient movement of goods and regulatory compliance.
• Monitor changes in global trade regulations, tariffs, duties, and customs requirements, proactively assessing business impacts and mitigation strategies.
• Develop processes and controls that support compliance, risk mitigation, and supply chain continuity.

Leadership & Organizational Development

• Lead, develop, and mentor a high-performing team while fostering accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Build strong cross-functional partnerships across Supply Chain, Operations, Finance, Information Technology, and Executive Leadership.
• Support annual planning, budgeting, forecasting, and strategic initiatives.
• Champion a culture of operational excellence, data-driven decision making, and customer-focused service.
• Drive organizational alignment around supply chain priorities, performance expectations, and continuous improvement opportunities.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Business Administration, Engineering, or related field.
• 10+ years of progressive supply chain leadership experience, including transportation, logistics, procurement, inventory planning, and supplier management.
• 5+ years of experience leading managers and cross-functional teams.
• Demonstrated experience developing supply chain analytics, executive dashboards, and reporting frameworks.
• Experience leading inventory planning, replenishment, or supply planning functions.
• Demonstrated experience managing supplier performance and strategic sourcing initiatives.
• Strong understanding of domestic and international transportation operations.
• Strong understanding of inventory management, forecasting, replenishment, and supply planning processes.
• Experience managing budgets, forecasts, and operational performance metrics.
• Proven experience negotiating transportation, logistics, and supplier agreements with measurable business impact.
• Experience managing international transportation and supplier networks.
• Strong understanding of import/export regulations, customs processes, international shipping documentation, and trade compliance requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex data into actionable business decisions.
• Strong communication, presentation, and executive stakeholder management skills.
• Proven success leading strategic initiatives and organizational change.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration (MBA), or related field.
• Professional certifications such as CSCP, CPIM, CLTD, CPSM, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, or Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.
• Experience supporting supplier networks within Asia and Southeast Asia.
• Experience developing executive dashboards and business intelligence reporting tools.
• Advanced experience with Sigma, Power BI, Tableau, Looker, or similar analytics platforms.
• Experience implementing supply chain visibility, control tower, or advanced reporting solutions.
• Experience leading transportation network optimization initiatives.
• Experience developing supplier scorecards, governance programs, and strategic business reviews.
• Experience managing customs brokers, freight forwarders, and international logistics providers.
• Experience in healthcare, medical device, distribution, fulfillment, or other regulated industries.

What Success Looks Like

During the first 12 months, the successful candidate will:

• Develop a comprehensive understanding of the company’s culture, products, customers, and business priorities.
• Build strong partnerships across business units to understand operational requirements, growth plans, and supply chain needs.
• Assess current transportation, purchasing, inventory planning, supplier management, and reporting processes to identify strengths, risks, and opportunities.
• Establish a long-term roadmap for transportation optimization, procurement excellence, inventory planning, and supply chain visibility.
• Design and implement a standardized executive reporting and dashboard suite that provides meaningful visibility into transportation, inventory, purchasing, supplier performance, and supply chain health.
• Establish a consistent reporting cadence that supports executive decision-making and proactive issue identification.
• Build trusted relationships with key suppliers, transportation partners, and internal stakeholders.
• Identify and implement transportation optimization opportunities that improve network efficiency, service performance, and overall cost effectiveness.
• Create KPI frameworks that align supply chain performance with organizational goals and business priorities.

Benefits

• Competitive pay
• Health plans with FSA or HSA options
• Dental and vision insurance
• Optional life insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• 12 weeks of parental leave for birthing parent / 4 weeks leave for non-birthing parent(s)
• Additional parental benefits including fertility stipends, free diapers, breast pump
• Paid holidays
• PTO accrual from day one
• Employee assistance programs